1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the multiple selection of digitally presented and digitally stored objects (starting objects), and the link-tokens linking the starting objects to additional information, data, and/or related data-entry or transaction mechanisms (destination objects) pertinent to each selected starting object, for simultaneous presentation and examination of the selected starting objects along with their associated linked destination objects/information. The present invention further relates to an organized dynamic array presentation for graphical thumbnails. The term “dynamic” refers to the automatic “self-scrolling” and “user programmable” features of the array-presentation. When the number of elements of a row or a column exceeds what the view-frame of the display-screen or browser can display simultaneously, the row or column begins to scroll through the view-frame as soon as the row (or column is filled). Viewers can program/select what categories are displayed in each row or column, and can control all rows and columns independently.
Graphical thumbnails are small images that represent objects frequently used in on-line or other viewable recording media (such as CD ROM) to represent the objects that are best represented by the image. Additionally, the present invention provides for sub-framing, which allows intelligent partitioning of information associated with an object.
2. Description of Related Art
The application of hyper text mark up language (HTML), dynamic HTML, scripting languages, such as Java, Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Practical Extraction and Report Language (PERL), Visual Basic Script Language, VBScript, and derivatives thereof, other languages, markup languages, or metalanguages, such as the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML—ISO 8879), eXtensible Markup Language (XML), Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), Jave, Javescript, Java Speech Markup Language (JSML), and ActiveX allow the static and dynamic presentation and linking of computer stored objects (texts, graphics, icons, parts, items, lists, audio and video segments, etc.) from a container, i.e., a file, a collection of objects, or a “page” of information, to related information and/or other objects and other containers via a software link token. A link token is an addressing pointer, pointing to the memory location of the linked destination). A link token is usually represented by a textstring, an underlined textstring, a bullet in front of a textstring, a color change of a text string, a graphical icon or thumbnail. An “index finger hand” would appear when the cursor is placed on an object that has an embedded link-token. A typical web page can contain numerous link-tokens, but only one link-token can be evoked at a time. When a link token is selected and evoked, for example, by clicking the computer “mouse” left-button while resting the cursor on the object with a link-token, the Browser would bring forth the destination object, i.e., a webpage that is linked by the link-token, from the database or memory bank in the connected storage media and/or networked computers and their storage media that is addressed by the evoked link token. The Browser then presents the object for viewing or examination by the viewer, i.e., the human, device, or computer software that evoked the link-token. The pointing-clicking action to “select” can similarly be performed with a wireless point-click device, such as a light-pen, or other remote input/control device.
However, on conventional web sites, selecting the starting object and its associated link-token from a segment of media (e.g., a page of graphics and texts, a list of parts, a segment of video or audio recording) where many objects and link-tokens are present, can only be performed one link at a time. When a particular link-token is evoked by clicking the left button of the mouse (a computer input device), or any remote input/control device, while the cursor is resting on the link-token, the destination object is brought forth for viewing or examination from the recording media addressed by the link-token. When one wishes to evoke another link-token on the starting (previous) page, he/she must return to that page by “clicking” the “Back” tool-button on the upper-left corner of the browser screen, to find the next link-token to be evoked. This operation must be done one token at a time, in serial fashion. If more additional objects from the starting page, or segment of media, are of interest, one must return to the segment to make a single selection from the interested objects, and evoke its associated link-token, again, repeatedly, one at a time. Moving forward and backward in segments of media or a series of web pages linked by the link tokens in this manner is a slow, awkward, labor-intensive procedure. FIG. 1A shows a flow chart depicting this process.
This procedure/methodology is especially awkward when there are many objects of interest in a particular starting segment, container, or page of media, and when there are multiple links of interest embedded again in the subsequent linked destination pages. The viewing human or examination devices are often taken several link-addressing steps away from the starting segment or page, such as an index list of items of interest, and are taken through multiple branches on a subsequent page. Such multiple branching causes the “Back” button pointer to loop between the two branches, making returning to the pages prior to the branching difficult, or even impossible. The URL (Universal Resource Locator) addresses of the prior pages and/or starting page must be remembered and entered in the “go to:” URL Address entry box on the Browser tool-band located at the top of the Browser frame, to return to the starting page in such situation.
FIGS. 2 through 8 show examples of pages from conventional web sites on which digitally stored starting objects are selected one at a time and their associated dynamically linked destination objects are displayed for viewing one at a time. One can only select and evoke a single link, out of the numerous links present on a web page. To select another object or link of interest from the page, one must return to the page, via clicking repeatedly the “Back” button on the Browser tool-band, reversing the path over which one has navigated in the forward direction in following the previously selected links. The color of a selected link or object does not change when placing the cursor on the link, nor when clicking on the link to select and evoke the link. The color change only manifests itself when after having selected and evoked the link, the browser returns “Back” to the page from which the link was selected and evoked.
FIGS. 2A-2G show a first example of pages from a conventional web site, i.e., Excite™, where one can only select a single item from the 106 luxury cars listed in FIGS. 2A-2F in 20 item segments and six physical “title only” pages. By “clicking” the left “mouse” button, while the cursor is resting on the selected item, the Browser brings the first level information linked to that item, and displayed for viewing as shown in FIG. 2G. Each underlined text string (an object, representing the “title” of a particular luxury car) has one link-token signified by the underline, with a single address pointer, pointing to a web page containing the information associated with this particular link. Only one single link (the underlined text string title) can be selected/clicked to bring forth and view the first level information associated with this underlined/linked “title”, for example, the BMW 740iL from the first listing segment page. If a browser is interested in another three titles from the page, he must return “Back” to this particular listing segment page in order to select one of these three titles, and repeat the procedure three times. It may happen that one is viewing several pages of information several links deep to a title on the sixth segment page of the listing, and is interested in comparing this title to another two titles in the third segment page, and three titles in the first segment page. To do so, one would need to print the current information pages, one link at a time, and then either remember the uniform resource locator (URL) (i.e., the address) of the third segment, or click the “Back” button of the Browser as many times of the link-levels of the last information page to return to the 6th segment page where the current title locates, and then three more times to get to the third segment, each time clicking a “continue” indicator in a pop-up dialog box that indicates you, i.e., the browser, are submitting information “unsecured”. The user must then wait for the uploading of the “unsecured” address to the site-server, and the downloading of the addressed information from the site-server to the desktop computer, to finally reach the third segment to click/select one of the two interested titles on that segment. The user would then need to print the resulting information; click “Back” one time to return to the segment, and click/select the another one title of interest on this segment page; print the resulting information. The user would then click the “Back” button two times, each time waiting for each segment page to load, to reach the first segment page. Finally the user must then click/select one of the three interested titles, print the resulting information, click the “Back” button one time, wait for the content to load, and repeat the procedure another two times for the remaining two interested titles from the page. If the user wishes to compare more number of items from the 106 item listing, the process becomes even more elaborate.
FIGS. 3A-3G show a second example of pages from a conventional web site, EbaY™, on which various categories of items including Star Wars Episode 1 posters and a set of four 650 watt sub woofer stereo speakers shown as underlined text strings on the EbaY™ Home Page in FIG. 3A can be selected and displayed at a time as shown in FIGS. 3B-3G. The invocation of a link-token (represented by the underline) associated with the particular object represented/indexed by the text-string underlined, by clicking the left mouse button while the cursor is brought to the underlined text string title/index of the object, would bring forth the information page linked to this particular object represented by the underlined text string. Second stage links on this (brought forth) page would link to other additional pages containing further information related the particular “featured object.” If one is interested in viewing information about another featured object on the EbaY™ Home Page, one must return to the EbaY™ Home Page from wherever the navigation has led the viewer, and repeat the process as many times as the number of items that interest the viewer.
As will be discussed further with regard to the present invention, the multi-tier information associated with particular items, such as the items listed in FIGS. 3A-3B, is not “sub-framed” to allow a sensible array presentation of such information. Such an array feature as in the present invention, would provide a comparison-shopping capability that is highly desirable and easily comprehensible in one setting with one retrieval process. Yet, conventional systems and methods only enable information about items in a list such to be accessed one-at-a-time, and one-level, one-link-at-a-time. To view other interested items, one must return to scan the list over and over again, at times returning “Back” from many addresses away, which is an arduous, time consuming, and annoying process.
Additional examples of pages from conventional web sites on which only a single item from a list of items can be selected and displayed for viewing at a time are shown in: FIGS. 4A-4E, which show camera equipment for sale on the EbaY™ web site; FIGS. 5A-5B which show home products for sale on the Yahoo!™ web site; FIGS. 6A-6G which show home design products for sale on the Homeportfolio™ web site; FIGS. 7A-7K which show various tiffanysia jewelry items for sale on the EbaY™ web site; and FIGS. 8A-8F which show various news headlines from the Microsoft™/National Broadcasting Corporation™ (MSNBCT™) news web site.
To view multiple headlined news articles listed on the homepage of MSNBC.COM shown in FIGS. 8A-8B, for example, one must select one headline at a time, clicking forward to additional links on follow-on pages, to wherever the article leads through the hierarchy of multiple interested reads/links on subsequent pages. To view another headline article, the browser must click backward as many times from where the previous article has taken him via clicking forward, each time waiting for a page to download, until back to the headline page, to click another interested article on that page. If multiple branches are taken from a page subsequent to the headline page, or a page containing multiple links of interest, the browser is often lost in a loop, and cannot get back out of the loop to return to pages prior to the page from which multiple branching is taken.